As the Trump administration pushes for more development and resource extraction, Tribal leaders and community advocates are calling on Congress to protect one of the Southwest’s last free-flowing rivers.
The M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act would protect nearly 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco rivers and their tributaries in New Mexico from future dams and mining. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., introduced the bill on April 10, 2025.
James Buckner, secretary for the Fort Sill-Chiricahua-Warm Springs-Apache Tribe, said the river holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning.
“The Gila is so powerful and majestic in many ways, not only to the Apache people, but who are out there day to day and enjoy it for what it's worth,” Buckner said.
He said the river is also one of the few places that still feels untouched.
“The Gila is one of the only true places here that are close to its natural state like it was when the Creator created it and gave it to us,” he said.
The proposal has been introduced multiple times over nearly the last decade, but supporters say the need to protect the river remains urgent.
For families with ties to the area, the fight is also personal. Community supporter Elysha Montoya says the river’s value goes beyond policy.
“It means a lot to our family,” Montoya said. “It’s just, you know, it’s sacred, it’s beautiful, it’s fresh and it’s clean.”
Advocates are now urging federal lawmakers to move the bill forward out of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
